Ensuring employee happiness will boost productivity

Ensuring the day-to-day happiness of employees will boost productivity and increase job satisfaction.

That is according to research from HR recruitment firm Ortus, which found that adopting a number of simple initiatives could go a long way to increasing staff morale and in turn levels of output.

The survey of nearly 600 professionals showed that employers had to take a more positive approach to staff wellbeing, as well as do more in order to get the most out their employees and retain their brightest talent.

And this can be achieved relatively easily – for example, 52 per cent of those surveyed said they would be considerably happier if their employer organised some form of gym or exercise break within office hours.

On top of this, strategies to improve talent management were high on employees’ wish list, with 82 per cent saying this would go a long way to improving staff retention. Mentoring schemes were also noted (67 per cent) and a third of respondents said more holiday time would definitely boost happiness and productivity.

Surprisingly, opportunities for flexible working did not rank as highly as some may think, with many perhaps preferring the opportunity to work in a shared office environment. It came much further down the list, ranking behind longer holidays and a better pension plan.

Stephen Menko, UK director of Ortus, said: “Getting the most out of the workforce is a core function of the HR profession and attitudes have changed about how to achieve this. The focus is more on the health and happiness of staff rather than all-nighters and lots of meetings.”

Mr Menko added that a carrot and not the stick approach fared much better with today’s employees – by allowing people to work around their lives rather than the other way productivity and job satisfaction are bound to increase.

After all, a happier more contented workforce will be less likely to be looking elsewhere for a job that satisfies their career needs, he added